Golf club



Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITED STATES HNRY J. KLUTI-IO, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA v GOLF .CLUB

App1ication le'd November 17, 1928. `Serial No. 320,187.

My invention relates to a golf club or drivingfdevice for a miniature golf ball, by the Ause ofl which golf may be played in-doors or in other limited areas. The present invention 5 is an improvement over that shown in my previous applica-tion #254,740, filed February 16,1928. l 1 Among the objectsof the invention is to provide a device of this character of simplified construction, wherein a differentI type of spring mechanism is employed, all as will be hereinafter' more particularly specied and claimed. v

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure `1 is a front elevation illustrating one application of my invention,

,Figure 2, a fragmentary part sectional part Y side elevational viewof the lower portion of the struct-ure of Fig. 1,

Figure 3, a similar view of the upper portion,

Figure 4, a front elevation of the modified form of head, and

Figure 5, a section on the line 5-*5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawings reference character 40 indicates a handle shaft formed of hollow vtubing which as in my previous invention corresponds to the handle of an ordinary golf club and has secured to its lower end a pair of diverging feet 41 which form a two-point support for the device during its use.

In the upper end of the handle shaft is secured awooden plug 42 held in place by brad fasteners 43, and said wooden plug serves to re-enforce the tubular shaft and to prevent said shaft from collapsing. A hand hold 44 is fitted over the end of the handle and gives the device the appearance of the handle of a conventional golf club. On the lower portion of the tubular shaft orv handle is mounted a bracket 45 which forms a pivotal support for a swingable arm 46 which carries a driving head or golf club 47 at its lower end. The bracket- 45 is adjustably slidable upon the shaft 40 and is held in fixed position on the shaft by means of a. set screw 48 which forms the pivot for the arm 46.

The club 47 has a reduced end 49 fitted into the end of the tubular arm46, and the club is removably held in the arm by means of a spring 50 which has its upper end lfired to the arm and has its lower end projecting through an aperture in the arm and an aperture in the reduced portion 49 of the club. This .construction permits a quick removal and replacement ofv clubs.

i The arm 46 is freeto swing on its pivot 48 and in order to give the arm 46 the necessary ordesired swing I providea bracket 51 upon the arm 46and to said bracket I pivot a toggle lever 52 which is provided with an off-,set porti-on at the end remote from the `bracket 51 in order tospace theextremity of the toggle lever in apla'ne away from the swinging arm 46. A pin 53 is carried in the off-set end of the toggle lever 52, and such pin extends through and is movable in opposed slots54 in the handle or shaft of they club so that when the pin is moved longitudinally in the slots 54 it will be caused to swing the golf club'. Meansis provided for reciprocating the pin in its slots which comprises a plunger 55 which extends up through the handle 40 and has its upper end pivoted with another pin 56 located in similar opposed slots 57 in the handle and which extends through an external sleeve 58 having a finger piece `or manipulating element 59. The end of the plunger exten-ds beyond thek pivot 5.6 and forms a centering eleimentfor a helical spring 60, the lower end of which bears against the pin 56, and the upperend of which bears against the wooden plug 42. The tendency of the spring will be to maintain the ,plunger in its 'lowermost position with the toggle lever 52 in such position that the swing arm 46' which carries the golf club is parallel to the handle 40. When the member 49 is pulled upwardly toward thehand hold 44 the plunger will move the pin 58 toward the upper end of the slots 54 and cause the toggle lever 52 to swing the arm 46 on its pivot 48 away from the position at which it ,is shown in Figures 1 and 2, whereupon if the manipulating element 59 is released the spring 60 having been compressed will drive the club back vto its original position and thus perform Lio a driving action corresponding to the driving stroke of a. golf club.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a modified form of head which is rotatable for bringing into selective use different forms of driving members or clubs. In lieu of the club 47 having its reduced shank fitting into t-he tubular arm 46 I provide a tubular body 61 upon which is mounted a circular head 62 said head forming a base for ,a rotatable head member 62. 'I he rotatable head member 63 is provided with a recess 64 for the reception ot a. spring 65, one end of which bears against the inner end oi the recess 6a and the other end of which bears against the washer 66 on the under side of the head of a bolt 67 which extends through the rotary head `63 and is threaded into the base G2, said screw also serving to hold the base on its supporting sleeve 61. Co-operating projections and recesses 68 and 69 are provided in the base and rotary head respectively in order to maintain the rotary head in the desired position. The rotary head 63 may be provided with any desired number of driving members 70, in the present instance three being shown for the purpose ot' illustration, any one of which may be brought to depending operative positi-on in alignment withthe supporting arm 46 by which it may be caused to perform a driving operation. On account ot the structure described the head mayv be rotated, the

spring 65 permitting the members 62 vand 63 to separate suiliciently to permit them to be brought to the proper position.

It will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made in my device without departing irom thespirit of the invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as setforth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said in vention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A device for playing golf comprising a'handle, adriving member pivoted on said handle, a plunger supported longitudinallyv of the handle, spring means associated lwith the plunger, adapted to be compressed when the plunger is moved longitudinally in 'one direction, and adapted when released'to move the plunger longitudinally in the other direction, and a lever connecting the plul'iger and driving member tor swinging the driving member upon the longitudinal movement oi the plunger, substantially as set forth.

2. A device for use in playing indoor golf', comprising a hollow handle,'a rocker arm pivoted on said handle, a driving member detachably carried' by the rocker arm, a spring housed in said hollow handle, meansfor compressing said spring, and means connected to the rocker arm in a manner to be operated by the recoil of the spring from its compressed position, whereby the rocker arm and driving member are swung in an arc simulating the driving action of a golf club, substantially as set forth.

3. A golf club for playing indoor golf comprising a hollow handle, a spring housed in the upper end of the hollow handle, a plunger in the hollow handleV beneath the spring and urged downwardly by the spring, a rocker` arm Apivoted on the handle, a driving member carried by the rocker arm, a

longitudinal slot in the lower end of the handle, a pin extending through said plunger reciprocable in vsaid slot, and a lever connecting the rocker arm and pin and adapted to be urged in an arc by the reciprocation ot the pin in the slot,`whereby when the plunger and pin are moved upwardly against the action of the spring the rocker arm and driving member will be swung away from the depending position, and when the plunger is released the spring will force the same upwardly to swing the rocker arm and driving member'in a manner simulating the driving actionv of 4a golf club, substantially as set forth. n

fl. Ar device vof the character described comprising a handle, a driving member pivotally mounted on said handle, operating means disposed longitudinally of the handle,

' resi-lient actuating means within said handle `HENRY J; KLUT-HO. 

